November 12, (THEWILL) – Actor and movie producer, Kunle Afolayan, has said professors clash and debate over his new film Anikulapo.
The award-winning filmmaker made this known while featuring as a panelist at the ongoing Africa International Film Festival. During a session on telling indigenous stories, which also featured another actor, Femi Adebayo, Afolayan admitted that there had been a lot of criticism of his movie.
He said, “Staying true to our stories is very important. I have seen a lot of films done by Americans telling African stories. Yet, some people who are Yoruba will see some movies done in Yoruba and say something is not being done right. Some look at it from the point of view of language, some from the angle of costume, while others look at it from the perspective of history.
“There has been a lot of thesis, criticism and debate over my film, with professors having clashes over them. For example, a professor of history could say, ‘That is not the history of Oyo’. A professor of film would also say, ‘You are the one bringing history to a film class’. For me, that is interesting. It opens up conversations.”
Afolayan added that he considered it notable that people were now being remunerated for telling indigenous stories. He said, “The icing on the cake is that one is making a living from doing something indigenous, and one is also being commissioned to do more. I feel that is the way to go.”
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